El viaje de Carol (2002)

Carol, a twelve-year-old Spanish-American girl from New York, travels with her mother to Spain in the spring of 1938, at the height of the Civil War. Separated from her beloved father, ... See full summary »

Director:

Imanol Uribe

Writers:

Ángel García Roldán (novel), Ángel García Roldán (screenplay)

Stars:

Clara Lago, Juan José Ballesta, Álvaro de Luna

2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Clara Lago	...	Carol
Juan José Ballesta	...	Tomiche
Álvaro de Luna	...	Don Amalio
María Barranco	...	Aurora
Carmelo Gómez	...	Adrián
Rosa Maria Sardà	...	Maruja (as Rosa Mª Sardá)
Alberto Jiménez	...	Alfonso
Lucina Gil	...	Dolores
Daniel Retuerta	...	Culovaso
Andrés de la Cruz	...	Cagurrio
Luna McGill	...	Blanca
Andrés Lima	...	Donato
Carlos Manzanares	...	Daniel
Carlos Kaniowsky	...	Don Julio (as Carlos Kaniowski)
Ana Villa	...	Chana

Storyline

Carol, a twelve-year-old Spanish-American girl from New York, travels with her mother to Spain in the spring of 1938, at the height of the Civil War. Separated from her beloved father, Carol arrives in her mother's home village and transforms the secretive family environment. Her innocence and rebellious nature drive her at first to reject a world that is at once new and foreign. But she soon journeys into adulthood through a friendship with Maruja, the village teacher, and a young local boy, Tomiche.

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Plot Keywords:

village | teacher | friendship | girl | spanish american | 

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Genres:

Drama | Family

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

web site [Spain]

Country:

Spain Portugal

Language:

Spanish English

Release Date:

6 September 2002 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Carol's Journey

Filming Locations:

Santa María de la Asunción, La Cárcoba, Miera, Cantabria, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

€2,760,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

€214,899 (Spain), 8 September 2002, Limited Release

Company Credits

Production Co:

Aiete Films S.A.,Aiete-Ariane Films,Ariane Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

El sitio de Zaragoza
Written by Cristóbal Oudrid

User Reviews

It's a keeper.

CAROL'S JOURNEY is set against the background of the Spanish Civil War, which, for those who aren't familiar, was a civil war that occurred because rightist forces in Spain could not deal with the idea of a republican government under which proportional representation was a feature. The Spanish Republic was led by liberals or progressives who were willing to work with labor parties and socialists, and the civil war was led by "dissenters" who had a problem with the idea of Spain breaking away from its semi-feudal past.

Carol is a 12 year old girl from New York City who has returned to Spain with her mother Aurora, to live with Aurora's family and attempt to be a little closer to Carol's father, who is an aeronautic volunteer for the Republic. Within a few months of their arrival, Carol's mother dies, and Carol finds herself having to make a new life with her grandfather and her aunt, uncle and cousins. Her closest acquaintances are a group of street kids, most worthy a kid named Tomiche who knows the ins and outs of survival in wartime and whose father also is a supporter of the new Spanish republic. The storyline basically follows what occurs through preadolescent love and the months following the victory of the reaction (Franco's followers).

The film, as many others have commented here, often falls into the clichés that follow films that attempt to engage with a child's view of wartime. But for those familiar with the details of this chapter of history, CAROL'S JOURNEY resonates in a special way, and is worthy on a number of levels. Definitely worth the hour and a half it takes to breathe this one in.